Noct – The Preview

10 bucks is not a lot of money, in fact to many of us it’s barely an hour out in the local drinking establishment so when offered a chance on the 22nd October 2015 to purchase the up and coming multiplayer survival game, Noct, for a wondrous 10 American Dollars, or around seven quid, I can only suggest you get that wallet out and send some monetary love to the developers.

Noct is billed as a 2D top-down multiplayer survival horror game that blends arcade combat with RPG survival elements and after several hours in the early access beta I can get right behind that description. It also controls sublimely with keyboard and mouse or as a twin-stick shooter, is one of the most atmospheric games of 2015 and will scare the pants off you when you least expect it.

The atmosphere comes in part from its fairly unique graphical look. So OK, there are other black and white games out there but Noct does it in a way that feels special. You control your character through an ‘Eye in the Sky’ camera with various military style filters, think night vision and you will be on the right track. Couple this with some truly brilliant atmospheric audio cues and ambient backing tracks from none other than Robin Finck of NiN and you just know that this game will get inside you and force you to turn the lights back on.

In Noct you get to play one of the unlucky survivors of armageddon, an apocalyptic purge of hellfire and death that leaves you in a barren wasteland surrounded by a ruined civilization, dust storms and a smattering of the biggest, ugliest, death dealing monsters you have ever had the misfortune to encounter, the Nocturnal. Do not despair though because someone, somewhere is watching and guiding you through the ‘eye in the sky’ and is leading you to your salvation, or so you hope!

Noct is perfectly playable as a solo event however the game is designed around multiplayer and as such others can join your world and help or hinder your progress as you are guided by the mysterious stranger who watches from above. The end result is looking to be a vast adventure where you are never quite sure who you can trust or what the end goal really is. Could it be your salvation or your doom? The only way to find out is to play and hope that we are all on the same side come the end of days.

Equip yourself with various guns or a rather handy melee attack and step out into a brooding, dark world of black, white and shadow. Collect items and complete objectives, form lasting friendships or find your nemesis and start your journey in the dark. The Noct are coming for you.